Usually we visit at the holidays and there is a full house, but the youngest of the seven kids is now a freshman in college and so it was a little strange to visit the empty nest. It was great to have Steve's folks all to ourselves, though. We picked grapes and apples on their property and did a little shopping and relaxing. I'm glad we had the time to go for a visit at such a pretty time of year.
Another highlight of my weekend was having dinner with Kerry Bogert on Friday night. She lives about 6 miles from my in-laws and we've talked over email before, but meeting her was really fun. She seemed exactly the same in person as she comes across on her blog, which I love. I first heard of her through articles in bead magazines, but the first time I got to see her jewelry in person was at Joolz in Canandaigua (Hey, Francie!) earlier that day. I love that Kerry has a recognizable style and I'm excited to see whatever comes next, but above all I think she is a model of artistic integrity and I have a lot of respect for her.
